colorado. >> right now chains are required on interstate 80 east of gold run and on u.s. 50 east of pollock pines. the california department of water resources says there's been a 140% increase in this year's snowpack. here in the bay area it wasn't a white christmas, it was a wet one. we saw heavy rainfall from time to time yesterday throughout the day. at times the rain came down at the rate of .2" an hour and in santa rosa the rain just hasn't stopped in nearly a month. up there in sonoma county, they have gotten 15 inches of rain since november 28th. that's more than a foot of rain in just four weeks. and the threat of more flooding is causing concerns along san fransesquito creek on the peninsula. a new layer of sandbags is on the levee along the creek in east palo alto. there's already been flooding from verbena to daphne way. some homes were evacuated after water seeped through a levee.

>> we had to leave everything behind. >> we had a bad christmas so we're ready to move on. >> there is one home that's still vacant because water do into electrical outlets making it too dangerous to occupy. east palo alto is working to fix it including increasing the creek as capacity to carry water. >> and that rain continues this morning, right? >> elizabet? >> hi-def doppler is busy. we are not away from the wet weather yet. we have been seeing a couple of different new accidents coming in because we have these heavier cells. we are going to zoom in with our hi-def doppler and show you what's going on. you can see that yellow moving over parts of what looks like south san francisco now hayward hit with moderate rain at least. and check out areas in vallejo if you are traveling interstate 80. chp also issued a high wind advisory for the carquinez bridge right where that wet weather is hitting right now. so yeah, it's a treacherous

morning out there. hopefully there's not as much commuters as typical. we're seeing fender benders out there. looks like temperatures definitely cooler, as well. sealing a lot of 40s, a few low 50s. 50 in san francisco, santa rosa 39. this afternoon we'll warm up to the mid- to low-50s. 54 vallejo. 53 san rafael. here's your forecast for the next several days. we get a brief dry break. this evening showers should clear out. cold front moves southeast and then friday into saturday morning we get hit with another band of rain not as heavy as this last christmas day storm we had. and then sunday into new year's day looks relatively dry which is a nice change in pattern. so let's hit the roads and show you traffic. we are dealing with some flooding concerns because of all the wet weather we have had specifically in sonoma county. 121 remains shut down by

highway 12. it's been that way since late last night. also, caltrans southbound train 102 dealing with about 10- to 15-minute delays. they have signal problems. all other mass transit is on time and on regular schedules. no longer holiday schedules. elsewhere here's a live look at the gold medal. southbound 101 free-flowing this morning. you can see the roads are wet heading towards doyle drive. 880/237, in milpitas, so far moving at the limit. and we'll show you one more traffic camera heading out of town towards oakland airport. right now that southbound traffic looks okay but it is starting to get busy in the southbound lanes heading down towards hayward. much more traffic and weather together every 10 minutes. back to you guys. >> thank you. we're less than a week away from the "fiscal cliff" and it turns out not every lawmaker left for the holiday. senate majority leader harry reid had worked on christmas at the capital on a scaled-down plan to avoid tax hikes for all but the wealthiest americans. his plan would also include short term spending cuts instead of long term deals that

had been sought. president obama will cut his hawaiian vacation short today and return to washington to take part in "fiscal cliff" negotiations. holiday sales grew at a weak pace this year. the weakest in four years. mastercard advisors spending pulse reports that sales in the two months before christmas increased .7% over last year. a lot of analysts expected sales to be up 3 or 4%. but wait, there is more. when i worked in retail when i was in college, christmas was busy enough. but the day after christmas? it was unbelievable! cbs 5 reporter cate caugiran is in san leandro where after- christmas shopping has already started. >> reporter: yes, brian. it started at 5:00 this morning at the bay fair center in san leandro. according to a consumer reports poll about 1 in 7 adults will return a christmas gift so that's part of it. for the other part i'm joined live now with keith mchugh with the shopping center here braving the rain with us, as

well. thank you so much for joining us. >> my pleasure. >> reporter: what brings shoppers out here the day after christmas? it's the holiday, you think they would be sitting at home enjoying the holiday. >> i think the after christmas shopper is looking for things for themselves rather than presents. some people haven't met one relatives before new year's and will be shopping for gifts. but a lot of them want things for themselves now and there's some really great deals. old navy has up to 75% off now. >> reporter: i understand the sales on this day almost rival black friday. is that something you see near terms of traffic? >> most definitely. the sales get better and better. now they want to clear out the merchandise for the spring merchandise coming in after the holidays so there are amazing deals to be had. >> reporter: thank you so much for joining us and braving the rain. this isn't only shopping center that's open early or late today. take a look on your screen you can see the hillsdale, serramonte, streets of brentwood, and also the bay street shopping center will be open a little early and staying

open later today if you were planning to shop the day after christmas. live in san leandro, cate caugiran, cbs 5. >> thank you. a relatively new christmas tradition continues in richmond as hundreds showed up at the nevin community center. >> some books. volunteered handed out food, presents and warm clothing. the program known as christmas in richmond was started in 2005 by a college student. one of santa's helpers put in overtime on christmas in san jose but instead of a sleigh and reindeer, a postal worker used a mail truck carrying on a decades-old tradition of delivering packages to people on christmas. this is the third year she put on that santa suit. she started working at the rocketsville post office 28 years ago. -- robertsville post office 28 years ago and says being the postal santa is a job she always wanted.

yesterday's rain couldn't dampen the holiday spirit in great america theme park in santa clara. take a look. for the 2nd quarter park celebrated its second global winter wonderland. it includes a 70-foot christmas tree lantern. the shower is powered by low voltage l.e.d.s and fluorescent lights. the show runs through the weekend after new year's. that's gorgeous. >> looks beautiful. 6:08. who knew they were such sticklers? how a mispronounced word on the wheel of fortune cost one woman the entire game. >> plus, strangers step in to help save a bay area family's injured dog. the incredible story of giving is still ahead. ,, ,,,,

♪ [ female announcer ] no more paper coupons. no more paper lists. [ dog barking ] no more paper anything. safeway presents just for u. save more. save easier. saving more, starts now.

first lady michelle obama w trying to read "twas the nit before this is exactly what he

does at home. he tries to beat malia and sasha to my lap. >> first lady michelle obama was trying to read t'was the night before christmas but one creature was stirring the obama family dog making himself as home as the first lady sat down to read to kids at a washington d.c. children's hospital. a first lady tradition since the 1950s. bo ended up stealing the show. >> that's sweet. >> cute. >> looks at home. a young bay area couple thanks anonymous donors for saving their dog. >> christin ayers reports. >> reporter: it was two weeks to christmas when nick and lindsey anderson realized that their 7-month-old siberian husky escaped from their bag yard but it was what they discovered when she came home that was devastating. >> she started barking at the back door and that's when we

knew that she was hurt. she couldn't walk. she was dragging her paw. just crying. >> reporter: shasta had been hit by a car. her pelvis was broken in three places and surgery was going to cost $5,000. >> can't afford that. >> reporter: the only option was euthanasia so they got on craigslist to find someone to pay for the operation. instead, they found a woman named mary. >> a guardian angel set up this fundraising site on giveforward.com. mary, whom the andersons never met, spread the word on facebook urging strangers to get money for surgery. >> reporter: one day 720, next morning at 1300 almost doubled. >> here it is, grateful, many of them are strangers. some donated $500 someone we don't know.

>> reporter: within four days the site had racked up $3,300. enough for doctors to go ahead with the surgery just days before christmas. >> shasta, knock it off! >> reporter: the andersons are still trying to raise the last $1,300 on giveforward.com but shasta is recovering. >> we're just grateful that there's people out there willing to give to a puppy. >> reporter: and that they say is priceless. in antioch, christin ayers, cbs 5. >> that dog is up and about, too. >> i know. it's amazing the generosity of strangers. >> and it is not cheap. i mean, obviously it takes a lot of money so good for them. 6:14. time to check traffic and weather. here's elizabeth with that. >> thanks, guys. we had a heavier rain cell move overcast cast. an accident there eastbound 580 approaching eden canyon. sounds like it was just cleared to the right-hand shoulder but yeah, the roads are slick in that spot and chp thinks that

accident was weather-related. obviously weather-related this closure in sonoma county. since yesterday, 121 shut down both directions by highway 12 the same spot shut down after sunday's storm so a problem spot there. mass transit is back to a regular weekday schedule. caltrain has slight delays with signal issues southbound train 102 reporting 10- to 15-minute delays but everything else including bart is on time. might be a great option today because it looks slick and wet. accidents are an issue. we have a couple of new ones popping up. this is a live look at the golden gate bridge where things look okay there and milpitas, 880 and 237 so far moving at the limit on this day after christmas, because we have expect lighter volume. let's check the high-def doppler radar. busy tracking all the storm showers moving across the bay area. they continue. so yeah this wet weather bring your umbrella you're going to need it throughout the course of the afternoon. this unsettled weather is going to stick around. it looks like a heavier cell moving over parts of san francisco. you can see it over 101, 280,

so your weather headlines this morning cold, breezy at times, as well. and then we get a brief short dry break coming by thursday. but yeah, hang on tight. we have this wet weather, the cold front continues to move farther southeast but all that unsettled air is behind it. and it's not letting up until much later this evening. you can see it with futurecast. we could get a few peeks of sunshine throughout the day and then more wet weather just behind it. finally around 9:00 things clear into the overnight hours. we have a winter storm warning in effect toward the sierra, snow up to 2 feet of the white stuff in the last 24 hours or so. so some good skiing conditions. you may want to hold off until tomorrow if you have travel plans towards lake tahoe. here in the bay area, you're going to see low to mid-50s for the most part. 55 in oakland. 53 in san rafael. and 52 degrees in santa rosa. so here's your forecast over the next several days. the rain today and then that brief dry break for tomorrow.

more rain comes friday night into saturday morning. and then sunday through tuesday it actually looks dry so pretty good-looking new year's eve and new year's day if you have outdoor plans. >> i didn't get to see you yesterday. did you have a good christmas? >> i did. >> get everything you wanted? >> i got a lot of gift cards. >> great. >> so i have a lot of shopping to do. >> did you get the day off? >> no. [ laughter ] >> frank got that. >> today, yes. i had yesterday off. really nice. >> we showed your picture of all your family. so cute. >> that was a great picture. >> nice. >> so what you did get from santa? that's the question cbs 5 reporter jennifer mistrot asked kids just moments after they tore off the gift wrapping. >> reporter: the weather outside was kind of frightful. but the gift wrap ripping, well, you get the idea. as i went door to door in this

coastal town, lots of creatures were stirring. >> hello... >> reporter: and it was pretty clear, santa had been around. >> what did you get? >> perfume! >> reporter: not every kid's dream gift but santa delivered some cool stuff this christmas. >> i got a red sled and skim board and skateboard, i got some santa claus outfit, that's the hat. >> reporter: are you practicing for something? extreme sports perhaps? >> not yet. too little. >> reporter: kids of all ages got into the act. >> happy? >> very. gorgeous! it's beautiful. >> reporter: he was stoked. even though it looked like his new board had been attacked. >> i lost my balance and i fell down the last few stairs with the surfboard falling behind me. so he gets a broken surfboard for christmas. >> and i can say a shark attacked me. [ laughter ]

>> better than falling down the steps. >> reporter: that's how we roll out here on the coast as these folks say -- >> merry christmas. >> reporter: -- it's a good life but we don't want to boast. [ bark, bark ] >> reporter: in pacifica, jennifer mistrot, cbs 5. we want to know what did you get for christmas that you wish you didn't? mornings-at-cbs 5-dot-com. u can also post your post your answers on facebor twitter. it's 6: we ve got a tie 's play of the email us at mornings at cbssf.com. post your answers on facebook or twitter. it is 6:19 right now. we have a tie for today's play of the day. you choose which dunk was better. >> i think i like that. a deadly storm least a breathtaking picture behind. >> plus the latest on a string of twisters that tore through the south, still ahead. >> the looming "fiscal cliff"

forces president obama to cut his christmas vacation short. i'm erica ferrari in new york. i'll have that and more coming up in your cbsmoneywatch report. and what's cool about your school? you can submit your nomination on our website, cbssf.com/coolschool. we may come and feature school right here on our show. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[ boy 1 ] hey! that's the last crescent. oh, did you want it? yea we'll split it. [ female announcer ] made fresh, so light, buttery and flakey. that's half that's not half! guys, i have more! thanks mom [ female announcer ] pillsbury crescents. let the making begin [ female announcer ] holiday cookies are a big job. everything has to be just right. perfection is in the details. ♪ get to holiday fun faster

welcome back! here's your cbs 5 snow report:

basketball team is spending holiday season in hawai'i. much more traffic and weather coming up. one local college basketball team is spending the holiday season in hawaii the university of san francisco taking on the east tennessee state on christmas day in the diamond head classic. an impressive first half dunk by the dons tied the game in the first half. san francisco won 67-49. our play of the day is from los angeles, the clippers and nuggets game. and billy crystal was talking about his new movie when a fast break broke out. >> five years later we got to make it. >> when you make parental guidance 2 -- oh!! >> oh, yeah. >> there you go. blake griffin finishes the break and the clip, won the 14th game in a row to lead the western conference. pretty good shot. it's the day after christmas so how about the gift

of another play of the day? lebron james finds chris bosh under the basket for the 4th quarter dunk. it was a rematch of last season's finals. oklahoma city and miami. miami got the win by the way, 103-97. lebron james assisting on the court. a christmas eve sendoff for recovering sea lion in marin county. the marine mammal center released kiki on rodeo beach monday. as you can see, he couldn't wait to get out of the crate and head into the water. workers rescued the sea lion near monterey last week. he was lethargic, malnourished and bite marks on his neck. that's why frank's not here this morning. [ laughter ] >> the center helped him recover with nearly six pounds of herring daily. >> aw, kiki is back at home. so is frank. [ laughter ] 6:25. coming up in the next half hour, a big ooops on the wheel

of fortune has the internet calling for a do-over. a strong line of storms brings a blizzard to the northeast. >> and americans edge closer to the "fiscal cliff." still ahead, who works through the holiday to come up with the plan. [ laughter ] [ girl ] wow, you guys have it easy.

i wish i had u-verse when i was your age. in my day, we didn't have these fancy wireless receivers. blah blah blah. if i had a sleepover, i couldn't just move the tv into the playroom. no. we had to watch movies in the den

because that's where the tv outlet was. and if dad was snoring on the couch, we muscled through it. is she for real? your generation has it made. [ male announcer ] the wireless receiver only from at&t u-verse. get u-verse tv for $29 a month for six months. rethink possible.

and i'm brian hackney.. >> your realtime captioner: linda marie macdonald. good morning. it's the day after christmasful we're on a food hangover. i'm michelle griego. >> i'm brian hackney. frank is off today. 6:29. christmas break from shopping is over as people return to the malls. one of them is cbs 5 reporter cate caugiran in san leandro where cash registers started filling up at 5:00 in the

morning. cate. >> reporter: talk about dedication to some good deals. yes, today is the day after christmas which means the presents go from under the tree back to the shops and retailers know this very, very well. stores will open early and stay open later to accommodate the returned gifts. plus will be 75% off deals rivalling some black friday specials. we were curious to know why some people surrendered their holiday to go back to the stores. experts say this is the day people can shop for themselves after gifting for others. >> there are people who haven't met up with relatives for the new year and will be shopping for gifts but a lot want to shop for themselves and there are great deals. old navy doing 75% off. >> reporter: experts predict post-christmas sales will be

similar to black friday. here are some other places to shop: according to a 2011 consumer reports poll about one in seven adults returned their christmas presents. reporting live in san leandro, cate caugiran, cbs 5. >> thank you. all right. it's 6:31 right now. now, elizabeth, i know you're a big shopper but are you going to avoid the malls today? >> you know, yes. i actually am. i know that the rain is making it difficult to travel and these rain showers continue throughout the day. if you do have any holiday returns to do, got any holiday traveling going to the airports, at least the volume is light but look at this. the bay bridge is slick in spots and it looks like this all across the bay area. several fender-benders reported, as well.

let's go to our maps eastbound 580 eden canyon an accident cleared so that's good news and no travel delays at all through the castro valley area. high winds also reported across the carquinez bridge. chp issued a high wind advisory just there for interstate 80 crossing the carquinez bridge to crockett. flooding from yesterday's rain continues to close highway 121 shut down by highway 12. and mass transit everything is on a regular schedule. caltrains some slight delays for southbound train 102. everything else good to go. high-def doppler radar continues to track the rain showers. heavy to moderate at times still unsettled. i want to zoom in towards san jose. heavier cell over 280 and the guadalupe parkway. the rain is really starting to come down. we had a cell move over san francisco a little while ago. you can see temperatures on the chilly side. you will want to bundle up if you are doing any holiday

shopping today. 39 right now in santa rosa. these temperatures are not going to bump up a whole lot mainly in the low to mid-50s. when do we dry out? we'll let you know coming up. traffic and weather in 10 minutes. back to you guys. >> thank you. >> i prayed to god -- [overlapping speakers] >> and i was just praying for my safety. and i knew that the truck was shaking. i just prayed that the truck stayed put and god would protect me and the ones with me. >> that is her reaction after a rare winter tornado trapped holiday travelers in their cars on christmas day. at least 30 tornadoes were spotted in states across the south. cbs news reporter edward lawrence has details on the damage and where the storm is headed next. >> two funnels on the ground. >> reporter: a christmas day tornado tore through mobile, alabama. >> there it is! >> reporter: joe michael love pulled out his cell phone to

record the twister while miles away it destroyed a church and homes and his son's high school. >> the band room and fieldhouse are destroyed. all the portable buildings for classrooms are gone. >> reporter: near houston, texas the tornado destroyed some buildings and tore down power lines. francis couldn't get away in time. >> we tried to get away. the truck was off the ground and it wouldn't go. finally we took off. >> reporter: damage from pearl river, mississippi, stretched a mile wide. 8 people were taken to the hospital. ted williams' family was home celebrating christmas when the twister hit. >> they hunkered down in the laundry room. >> reporter: further north a snowstorm is the problem. snow and ice covered the roads in oklahoma. >> i got my chains on. i'm probably the only one with chains on driving around going 5 miles an hour. >> reporter: and the storm is pick up steam as it heads through arkansas into the midwest. within those warning areas, blizzard conditions are expected over the next 24 hours or so.

tomorrow there could be up to a foot of snow in many parts of new england. edward lawrence for cbs news, washington. >> and back here in california, there was snow in the sierra for christmas. that meant chains for drivers without four-wheel drive and big delays. some folks had to wait in bumper-to-bumper traffic on i- 80 up to three hours yesterday. no snow here but the bay area did see some pretty intense rainfall for christmas. at times, the rain came down at a rate of more than .2" an hour. this is quite a change from last christmas. san francisco will have seen more than 5" of rain this month by the time we celebrate new year's. last december it rained less than half inch at sfo. some folks in east palo alto neighborhoods are bracing themselves as another storm is arrives with showers going through. they are concerned about more potential flooding from the san fransesquito creek. kcbs radio's matt bigler joins us live from east palo alto. good morning.

>> reporter: good morning. you can bet that folks here in east palo alto will be closely monitoring the san fransesquito creek after what happened on sunday. it was on sunday just before christmas that the san fransesquito creek overtopped its banks and sent floodwaters down these streets here in east palo alto. that floodwater came dangerously close to homes and garages. there was furious sandbagging and some evacuations. >> kids didn't wake up in the morning thinking they are going to have to help their parents clean out their front yards and, you know, clean up the cars. they wanted to go outside and play with their gifts. >> reporter: yeah, about 40 families were evacuated as a result of that flooding. the good news is, crews from the city, from the california conservation corps and even volunteers, they swooped in, they did some sandbagging and repaired that portion of the

san fransesquito creek that was flooding and folks were allowed to return to their homes. and this morning, everyone is back at home. the creek hopefully will not be doing any more flooding. but as i mentioned at the start of report, they are monitoring that creek to make sure that this doesn't happen again. the really good news, there is a flood protection project that should start later next year in mid 2013. they are scheduled to erect some floodwalls on the banks of the creek so hopefully a year from now this won't be a problem. live in east palo alto, matt bigler for cbs 5. >> about time after those massive february 1998 floods that they had down there. it's something they do need to check that in the future, matt. thanks very much. and checking "your world this morning," an attack today on a u.s. military base in eastern afghanistan. the taliban is claiming responsibility. a suicide bomber's vehicle blew up at the gate to camp chapman. an afghan guard at the gate was killed along with two civilians

and the bomber. well, it's unlikely many people felt it but santa clara county did have a little christmas day earthquake. it was next to nothing. magnitude 2.4 centered seven miles northeast of milpitas at 12:29 p.m. and that is right around where the hayward fault splits off from the calaveras fault so it's a complicated area where they had the quake in the alum rock area in the '80s. officials with pg&e said there was a blast caused by an equipment failure. it happened about 5:00 near the corner of third and mission. nobody was injured but several streets had to be shut down during the investigation of the blown manhole cover. 6:38. bay area grads struggle to find jobs in their field. >> and that wheel of fortune, whoops, how one slip of the tongue cost this woman thousands. >> and the market just opened up about 10 minutes ago. let's check the early numbers. you can see the dow is up about 24 points. coming up, we'll get an update

from cbsmarketwatch.com's erica ferrari.

wasn't all bad.. check out s incredible shot.. folks in jackson mississippi got a e sky and this the weather was dreary in most of the u.s. yesterday but it wasn't all bad. check this incredible shot. folks in jackson, mississippi, got a glimpse of blue sky and this beautiful rainbow yesterday. it just looks perfect. you can see thick white clouds rushing by. this is a time lapse video. forecasters expect it to be drier today and tomorrow. but they predict rain could pop up again friday. but you get wonderful video like this. >> it's unusual, too, because camera lenses, it's rare to get the entire arc of a rainbow in a single shot so that's extraordinary. the weather outside was frightful, but inside here it's delightful. >> that's like a pot of gold rainbow. there was a cool rainbow that formed on sunday after the rain showers there over the bay bridge.

it was neat. right now we have more rain heading our way so cross your fingers maybe we'll see a rainbow later on today. but the storm showers continue throughout much of the afternoon in fact. it looks like for now, a pocket just moved through san francisco, getting a brief dry break. but there are more showers just behind it. we are going to zoom in to the south bay. that's where we're watching a heavier cell looks like moving over 880, 680, guadalupe parkway. so watch out for that if you have any traveling plans. we are seeing a couple of different accidents in the last 10 minutes in that same area. so here's your weather headlines for today. cool and breezy, showers continue into the afternoon. and a short dry break is heading our way. wait one more day and we'll dry out across the bay area. so this cold front continues to move farther inland. unstable air mass though just behind it. so you'll need that umbrella again throughout the day today. if you have any travel plans at sfo we just checked in with them. right now there's no delays. but delays are possible later on this afternoon. we have rain and some breezy conditions highs in the mid-50s

right now. and checking some conditions around the country, houston not too bad. but we got snow in denver and chicago, rain and wind if you are traveling towards new york city. a winter weather alert in the sierra. they have been dumping -- getting a lot of snow there. they have up to two feet right now. gusty winds, as well. so some good ski conditions. they have chain requirements out that way. so you may want to hold off until thursday if you are planning a trip towards tahoe. it will be easier to get there anyway. temperatures here in the bay area low to mid-50s. 54 in concord. 55 in oakland. and here's a look at your forecast over the next several days. so we got one more wet day and then there's that dry break on thursday. looks like we're drying out again friday -- friday into saturday. we have another band of rain showers moving through and then drying out sunday through new year's day so not too bad if you have any plans for new year's eve. all right. let's check traffic. i mentioned that accident in the south bay. northbound 680 approaching mckee road. that's where that accident there possibly blocking lanes -- we just showed you, that's

when we got a heavier band of rain moving through right now, as well. 880/237, in milpitas, the commute looks good. hopefully not as many people on the roads this morning. seems to be the case. high wind advisory in effect if you are crossing the carquinez bridge to the maze and a quick live look at the golden gate, where things are flowing nicely even though the roads are slick heading into san francisco. that is and weather together. back to you guys -- that is traffic and weather together every 10 minutes. some encouraging numbers have come out out in 20 major cities house prices up and an uptick in asian stock markets. erica ferrari is here to tell us about it from cbsmoneywatch.com. >> reporter: stocks opened mixed on wall street. investors returned from the holiday cautious over washington's ability to avert the so-called "fiscal cliff." the president will cut his christmas vacation short to head back to the negotiating table. time is running out huge tax

hikes and spending cuts threaten to push the economy into recession. no specifickings for how the senate and house plan to tackle the work tomorrow. >> new taxes to pay for the affordable healthcare act will take effect january 1 but the average american won' see a difference. the wealthiest 2% of americans and had healthcare industry will pay the tab mostly. the standard & poor's kay schiller national index of house sales shows prices are up 4.3% in october up from 3% annual gain in september. starbucks has its own plan to encourage lawmakers to reach a "fiscal cliff" compromise. the coffee giant surging employees in some of its 120 washington area shops to write the words, come together on cups of java. let's send it back to you. >> thank you. looks like shoppers just weren't in the holiday spirit

this year. >> holiday sales growth was the weakest since 2008. one report put the increase at 0.7%. that's far below analysts' predictions of 3 to 4%. experts blamed superstorm sandy and the looming "fiscal cliff" for disrupting shopping. back to you. >> thank you, erica ferrari in new york. and -- >> and -- >> go ahead. holiday sales grew at a weak pace, weakest in four years. mastercard reports the sales in the two months before increased just .7% over last year. new evidence that the bay area job market is in recovery mode right now. a new check of the numbers finds the boom that began in the silicon valley tech sector is broaden. the "oakland tribune" found construction was the fastest growing industry in the bay area just over the last year

and there's also growth in retail, wholesale trade, manufacturing, and hospitality businesses. college graduates are struggling to find jobs in their chosen career paths. as cbs 5 reporter grace lee reports, the number of young california grads working in restaurant or retail has doubled in the last five years. >> reporter: when you're shopping this holiday season, or eating out, take a look around. you might notice i lot more people under 30 working those jobs. according to the census bureau, there are about 260,000 young adults with college degrees in california taking work in food service and retail because they can't get anything else. >> pretty sad now, yeah. >> reporter: rory graduated with a computer science degree. >> i graduated with my bachelor's in 2009 and i was

working retail in the mall. it was embarrassing. >> i couldn't get a job in the field i wanted to so i had to take what i could to get where i want to be. >> reporter: even with a higher degree it's tough. bill song is still in college and worried about his future because his friends have been forced to take jobs they don't even want. >> all my friends who graduated are having a hard time. they had to start i retail. my friends are higher degrees are working in mcdonald's. >> reporter: it's hard for college grads to pay back student loans. with tuitions rising across the nation, those bills are stacking up. >> i think one of my friends bar tends and works at a restaurant trying to pay off the loans she got. >> reporter: maria has a 4-year- old and she is already worried about what kind of world her daughter will face. >> it's really distressing. i got out of school in the early '90s and it was a tough market then but not like now. >> reporter: grace lee, cbs 5.

it's time now for a look at what's coming up on the "cbs this morning." >> jeff glor joins us from new york. good morning. >> michelle, brian, good morning. we'll go to mobile, alabama where multiple tornadoes tore through the city. we're also tracking holiday travel disruptions where severe storms could hit next. and an eye-opening look this morning at how your smartphone might be watching you. also five travel tips for a last-minute getaway if you can get away before the new year. we'll see you at 7:00. >> thank you. "cbs this morning" starts at 7:00. the big question for kids this week, what did you get from santa? >> we went door to door in pacifica to find out how some of the kids fared and gifts range from an air hockey set to perfume. it was clear there were a lot of young people who were thrilled to receive their presents. >> i got a red sled and a skim board and a skateboard, i got

some santa claus hat. >> which looks very nice what would christmas be without a few minor mishaps like this one? one parent fell down a couple of stairs with a surfboard and the boy got a surfboard that looks like it was chomped on by a shark. what did you get for the holidays you wished you didn't? comment on facebook or twitter, or email us at mornings@cbs5.com an l.a. family got something they probably didn't expect a million dollars. if you can believe it they cashed in one lucky lottery ticket and we're hearing they only bought two for the $10 fortune scratchers. one didn't win dime, the second a million dollars. the odds of winning the scratcher are one in 1.2

million. so they are very lucky. >> better than 7 graveyard shifts. [ laughter ] coming up next, one last look at your top stories. >> and who knew they were such sticklers? >> how a mispronounced word on the wheel of fortune cost a woman the entire game. ,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

some rough weather today. in the midwest... snow and e are already covering roads parts of illinois and southn the east coast is bracing for rough weather today. in the midwest, snow and ice are already covering roads in parts of illinois and southern indiana. this is what it looked like a short time ago in indianapolis. there are a lot of flight delays and cancellations there as well as chicago o'hare. cincinnati, ohio and dulles international airport near washington, d.c.

east palo alto is keeping a close watch over a levee along san fransesquito creek. new sandbags are in place to help keep the creek from overflowing into the gardens neighborhood again. there were some evacuations over the weekend but the creek is lower now and most people have returned to their homes. there's plenty of fresh snow in the sierra right now including at blue canyon. in the past 24 hours there's been bumper to bumper traffic including i-80. chains are required for vehicles without four-wheel drive. if you are wondering about the impact on water supplies, officials say there's been a 140% increase in this year's snowpack. that's good. >> it is good. >> yeah. >> it's actually 140% of average. >> okay. >> all right. >> a little mathematical thing. >> thank you, brian. >> last year it was only 27% of average. >> last time during weather we barely used high-def doppler radar and this time it's getting a workout. here it is four. our cbs 5 exclusive high-def

doppler radar. you can see right now the heavy- to-moderate rainfall over parts of the bay area. so it continues throughout the day. you'll need and umbrella throughout the afternoon. we had heavier cells looks like moving right now over the south bay. so clicking past this we'll go to our highs later on this afternoon in the low to mid-50s for the most part across the bay area. and then tomorrow, we get a brief dry break with more rain showers turning friday into saturday morning and then we dry out sunday through new year's day. let's hit the roads and talk traffic. we are getting word of a couple of different accidents in the south bay including one northbound 680 approaching the mckee road exit. but first i want to mention these caltrain delays. bad delays southbound, with some sort of signal issue, caltrain is back to a regular schedule this morning by the way. in fact, all mass transit bart, as, muni and ferries, no longer on those holiday schedules. elsewhere, the roadways so far for the most part volume is extra light. this is a live look at 880/237. over at the bay bridge, this is

usually our best indicator of how things are moving. the roads are slick but no metering lights no delay into san francisco. thank you. a man in corvallis, oregon, is looking for a new wife. this story is hilarious. he is 82 and says he was married and divorced three times before he was even 40. >> i cleaned up my act. at this point i'd love to find the, if you wish, the perfect companion. >> the sign around his neck advertises his availability. he is only interested in meeting someone over 60. >> he believes only in asking for what you want. >> he needs to try eharmony. >> he is doing it the old school way. wait until you see this. she was on a roll toward thousands of dollars on the

game show wheel of fortune until a slip of the tongue cost her everything. >> yeah. renee durette was on the show last week and had the answer to the puzzle, seven swans a- swimming. but when she gave her answer, she mispronounced the last word leaving the g off the swimming so instead she said "swimmin." the judges ruled it a wrong answer and her opponent won but amazingly renee says she is not upset. >> they have to protect against regional dialects so i should have been more straight lined in my enunciation of the phrase. i still watch the show every night. i still love it. i still support it. it's been great. but i don't harbor any, you know, grudges. >> no bitterness there. former wheel contestants say before show tapings they are told answers must be read exactly as they appear to be considered correct. even if renee says she is okay with what happened there's already an online push to get the show to bring her back on and give her a second chance. >> she was robbed!

she was robbed! >> absolutely. >> i rarely watch wheel of fortune. i was watching that night and i remember looking over to my mother going, can you believe that?! captions by: caption colorado comments@captioncolorado.com captioning funded by cbs good morning to our viewers in the west. a large winter storm moves toward the northeast after creating whiteout conditions in the south. president obama leaves hawaii tonight for washington with less than a week until the fiscal cliff deadline. and how much your smartphone is telling the world about you. >> first